The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1887-10-20
THE OPIUM HABIT.


N@ANafNlauA AeAeuNM y - EEnerloueeu
Physician % New Tork.
~ experience has taught me to b.
lieve that no person who Is addicted 10
the opium habit IL sane | do not mean
TO say that whea = person begins 10 use
the drug he is out Of his mind. bat
after be has become addicted to the
use Of L.; in other words. when he has
become a chronic Opium-eater. [ con-
slider him insane. / have had consider
able experience with 0pium-eaiers. and,
IS a rule. do not like 10 have them in
an insane asylum
There is now patient in this institu-
ton who came here seven months ago.
His friends do not consider him out Of
his mind. bat l consider him an insane
man. am Of the opinion that be f.
unaeeOuntable for what he does. aud
think he Is unfit 90 transact his own
business or the business II any one else.
Seven months ago he was taking ten
grains Of opium = day. He 70 now
down to two grains day and doing
well think it was through the power
Of his own will that be has reached his
present improved condition. aud not
on account Of any medical skill on nv
part.
In curing the habit I would show the
habitne his usual dose Of opium. and
lei him take it. but day by day would
reduce the fluid with water, but always
give him the same sized dose. A per-
son who has been addicted to the opium
habit for fourteen or fifteen mouths is
regarded as q chronic case. Three
grains Of opium daily IS large dose,
hut ten grains is enormous.
The effect Of the drug on a chronic
Opium-eater is merely qaieting; he is in
= state Of half drunkenness. whether he
takes large or small doses. But, in IN
acute case. the effects Of the drug are
very pleasant indeed The victim sees
visions Of loveliness and grandeur i'm
possible To describe. and catches
glimpses Of q heavenly state Of exist
enee. When he has become 8 chronic
user Of the drug. and his system de-
mands il. he. IN = certain extent, ceases
10 have these visions and raptnrous
dreams unless he takes unusually heavy
dOses-enOngh TO produce immediate
sleep. Under such conditions he will
usually have pleasant dreams though
sometimes he passes through horrible
scenes Of torture.
The effect Of the drug on the physique
Of a person varies somewhat. Some
times he will become dreadfully ema-
ciaied. bat IL the appetite keeps good
he will not decrease in weight There
10 always, however. a peculiar color
about an Opium-eater's face. and by
that he can be known; the complexion
assumes the color Of old brass. having
a peculiar death-like hue. but il is sell |
dom that the digestion is impaired.
Opium affects the spinal cord and the |
brain principally. The nerve power Of !
the opium-eater is very much iessened |
without the opium, and il is very much
increased with the drug until the end |
comes. The death Of the opium-eater is
not marked by any particular scenes Of
horror. have seen several opium |
eaters die a very pleasant death. and ! |
do not know that | ever saw q very bad
death among such patients.
The causes which lead persons into
the opium habit are 80 numerous that
no one would attempt to define all Of
them. The habit IL often brought on IN
young medical students who resort 10
the stimulaut through Overstraining
themselves in study. The troubles
brought about in she rush Of business
account for Others using the drug. EK-
eessiTs lquOr-drinking sometimes leads
to the habit
| am now attending . prominent cit
izeh of New York City, . man Of wealth.
who has been q very heavy drinker.
He resOrted 10 drink TO drown his sor-
TOW over the death Of beautiful daugh-
ter. l took him for the opium habit.
He took ehlOral and morphine COM
bined. He would take enough chlOral
and morphine IN a day to Kill fifteen
men. reduced his allowance to al
most nothing. He got 50 that he took
. very small dose every day, but in q
short time be relaPsed into his old
habits. became as bad IS be ever was,
and the consequences is he will soon die.
There are three methods by which
the drug Il taken. viz. internally. =
infection. and BY ahsorp-
ton. that is by rubbing the drug on
the skin. Ny experience is that about
Of the number Of Opium-eaters
take It in paregOrie form. while two
thirds take Il in the gum. Very few
people take tiRcture Of opium. Taking
the drug by means Of . pill is a favor
its method. It can be kept more Sc
cretly about the person in that form
than in any other. ParegOrie has to
be carried in = bottle. aud It has a
strong smell very similsr to snise-seed.
The smell Is quickly noticed. while. Il
a person ehews opium. you have to get
very close TO him to smell it-E ~